Simple Mechanism for Reversals of Earth’s Magnetic Field

2008/06/30 by F. Petrelis, François Pétrélis, S. Fauve +4 · 4 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies #Geophysics and Gravity Measurements #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #physics.flu-dyn #physics.geo-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.102.144503

update version, with new figures

arxiv created 2009/02/09 · openalex publication_date 2009/04/07 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We show that a model, recently used to describe all the dynamical regimes of the magnetic field generated by the dynamo effect in the von Kármán sodium experiment, also provides a simple explanation of the reversals of Earth's magnetic field, despite strong differences between both systems. The validity of the model relies on the smallness of the magnetic Prandtl number.

Citations

• Stochastic Processes in Physics and Chemistry

Cited by

• Bistability between equatorial and axial dipoles during magnetic field\n reversals
• Dynamo regimes and transitions in the VKS experiment
• On the applicability of low-dimensional models for convective flow reversals at extreme Prandtl numbers
• Can one use Earth’s magnetic axial dipole field intensity to predict reversals?

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